High-Pressure Water Jet System Treatment of Argan Nut Shell and Enzymatic Hydrolysis for Bioethanol Production
Jihane Zeghlouli, Gwendoline Christophe, Kota Ogura, Naoki Sawamura, Amine Guendouz, Cherkaoui El Modafar, Philippe Michaud, Cédric Delattre
Abstract
Argan nut shell represents the most generated by-product during the process of the extraction of argan oil. For the first time, argan nut shell was characterized and assessed as a new potential feedstock for bioethanol production using a combination of mechanical and enzymatic pretreatment. Argan shell samples were first disintegrated using the Star Burst system, which involves a high-pressure water jet system. Then, the pretreated argan nut shell was subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis using Viscozyme L (30 FBGU/g). Afterwards, the fermentation of the hydrolysate by Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated. Argan nut shell, as a feedstock plentiful in carbohydrates, conferred a high yield of saccharification (90%) and an optimal ethanol bioconversion (45.25%) using Viscozyme L (30 FBGU/g) at 2%w/v of argan feedstock.